Day 1 : March 30, 2018

Keynote Forum

Biography:

Panos M Pardalos serves as distinguished Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Florida. Additionally, he is the Paul and Heidi Brown Preeminent Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering. He is also the Director of the Center for Applied Optimization. He is a world leading expert in global and combinatorial optimization. His recent research interests include energy systems, network design problems, optimization in telecommunications, e-commerce,data mining, biomedical applications, and massive computing.

Abstract:

For decades, power systems have been playing an important role in humanity. Industrialization has made energy consumption an inevitable part of daily life. Due to our dependence on fuel sources and our large demand for energy, power systems have become interdependent networks rather than remaining independent energy producers. This talk will focus on the problems arising in energy systems as well as recent advances in optimization, modeling, and data sciences techniques to address these problems. Among the topics to be discussed are emission constrained hydrothermal scheduling, electricity and gas networks expansion, as well as reliability analysis of power grid.

Keynote Forum

Biography:

Ramesh Agarwal has received his PhD from Stanford University in 1975 and Post-doctoral training at NASA Ames Research Center in 1976. From 1976 to 1994,

he was the Program Director and McDonnell Douglas Fellow at McDonnell Douglas Research Laboratories in St. Louis. From 1994 to 2001, he was the Sam Bloomfield Distinguished Professor and Executive Director of National Institute for Aviation Research at Wichita State University in Wichita, KS. He is currently the William Palm Professor of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis. He is the author/co-author of nearly 250 archival papers and over 500 conference papers. He is on the editorial board of 20+ journals. He is a Fellow of 18 societies including AIAA, ASME, ASEE, SAE, IEEE, APS, and AAAS among others. He is the recipient of many honors and awards.

Abstract:

Wind has been used as a source of power by human society centuries before the dawn of industrial revolution. Since the beginning of the industrial age, the fossil fuels have dominated as a source of energy. Only in last couple of decade or so, because of concerns about global warming, there has been increased emphasis on using wind as a source of clean, renewable and sustainable energy source. This talk will describe the potential of wind as an important source of energy since it is available around the globe at sufficient velocities to generate significant amount of power. It is well established that the power generated by a Horizontal-Axis Wind Turbine (HAWT) is a function of the number of blades B, the tip speed ratio λ (blade tip speed/wind free stream velocity) and the lift to drag ratio (CL/CD) of the airfoil sections of the blade. The airfoil sections used in HAWT are generally thick airfoils such as the S, DU, FX, Flat-back and NACA 6-series of airfoils. These airfoils vary in (CL /CD) for a given B and λ, and therefore the power generated by HAWT for different blade airfoil sections will vary. This lecture will show the effect of different airfoil sections on HAWT performance using the Blade Element Momentum (BEM) theory. The relatively thick airfoils DU 91-W2-250, FX 66-S196-V1, NACA 64421, and Flat-back series of airfoils (FB-3500-0050, FB-3500-0875, and FB-3500-1750), both original and optimized, are considered and their performance is compared with S809 airfoil used in NREL Phase II and III wind turbines; the lift and drag coefficient data for these airfoils sections are available.The output power of the turbine is calculated using these airfoil section blades for a given B and λ and is compared with the original NREL Phase II and Phase III turbines using S809 airfoil section. It is shown that by a suitable choice of airfoil section of HAWT blade, the power generated by the turbine can be significantly increased. Calculations are presented both for uniform wind velocity and variable wind velocity by including the dynamic inflow. We also consider the wind farm layout optimization problem using a genetic algorithm. Both the Horizontal–Axis Wind Turbines (HAWT) and Vertical-Axis Wind Turbines (VAWT) of various sizes in diameter and height are considered. The goal of the optimization problem is to optimally position the turbines within the wind farm such that the wake effects are minimized, and the power production is maximized.The reasonably accurate modeling of the turbine wake is critical in determination of the optimal layout of the turbines and the power generated. For HAWT, two wake models are considered; both are found to give similar answers. For VAWT, a very simple wake model is employed. In addition, the technologies related to windmill control will be briefly discussed. The issue of intermittency of wind generated power and its integration into the grid will be discussed. The environmental concerns and cost-effectiveness issues will also be addressed.

Keynote Forum

Biography:

Donald L Rockwood is President of Florida FGT LLC, has over 35 years of experience on the development and use of Eucalyptus amplifolia, E grand is Corymbia torelliana, Populus deltoides, cypress, and slash pine hybrids in Florida and elsewhere. Also Professor Emeritus at the School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, he is actively involved with the genetic improvement of several Short Rotation Woody Crop (SRWC) species, including the commercial release of E grandis cultivars, and with the development and utilization of SRWC systems using these species.

Abstract:

Sustainably grown eucalypts have numerous potential applications. Native to Australia but established as exotic short-rotation plantations in tropical, subtropical, and even temperate regions of Africa, South America, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America for a variety of timber products, eucalypts are the world’s most valuable and widely planted hardwoods (18 million ha in 90 countries). India and Brazil have over 8.0 and 3.0 million ha of plantations, respectively. Using experience in Florida USA and similar locations, we describe eucalypts potential for maximizing productivity as short rotation woody crops, document their current energy applications, and assess their potential as short-term and likely long-term energy and related products as well as medically related products. Many conversion technologies are well understood, and several are being developed. Many products currently derived from petrochemicals can be produced from Eucalyptus biomass. Eucalyptus bio products, which may be classified as naturally occurring, generated by biochemical processes, or as the result of thermochemical processes, have a broad and exciting range of applications. Increased biomass productivity and quality, prospects for carbon trading, distributed energy systems and hydrogen, multiple products from bio refining, and government incentives should foster the use of fast growing eucalyptus.

Keynote Forum

Biography:

Sandra Jo Garren is the Director of Sustainability Research at the National Center for Sub-urban Studies at Hofstra University. She is also the Director of Sustainability Studies and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geology, Environment, and Sustainability at Hofstra University. She completed her Doctorate in Geography and Environmental Science & Policy Program in the Department of Geosciences at the University of South Florida, Tampa in May 2014. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Earth Science/Geology and a Master’s degree in Teaching. In total, she has more than 25 years of experience in both academic and environmental sustainability fields as a Principal Investigator, Project Manager and Technical Expert. She has conducted numerous scientific investigations related to sustainability, greenhouse gas accounting, energy policy, climate change policy, water management and environmental regulation. Her research is currently focused on sustainability, energy policy, climate policy, and water management issues globally, nationally, and sub-nationally with a focus on applied science and policy that solve problems and find solutions to the negative impacts of climate change and other environmental challenges. She currently teaches courses in sustainable development, sustainability theory, sustainable energy, and geospatial applications in sustainability. She is currently co-authoring two sustainability case study books in the fall 2017.

Abstract:

Sustainability is a relatively new field which has been growing since 1987. That is when the United Nation’s published the Brundtland Report which officially defined sustainable development as development that meets the current generation’s needs without compromising future generations. Since then, the field has grown tremendously. Fast forward to 2012 when the United Nations advanced 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) SDG 7 focuses on energy, specifically to “ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.” Some nations are achieving this SDG; however, there are still more than one billion people without electricity. Fossil fuels could provide modern energy but at the expense of the environment (i.e., air and water pollution and greenhouse gas emissions that drives climate change). And currently, renewable energy represents less than 20 percent of the world’s total energy production. This dynamic set up one of the greatest big picture challenges of our time, namely, how to provide modern energy for all while protecting the environment. There are examples of nations that are making progress, but they are still in the minority. For example, both Costa Rica and Iceland source the majority of their energy from hydropower and geothermal. At the sub-national scale, regions and cities are following suite. For example, in 2014 Burlington, Vermont became the first American city to run entirely on renewable electricity. However, challenges remain in the transition to renewable energy. This talk will review the state of renewable energy policy around the world both nationally and sub-nationally and provide case studies of exemplary performance in renewable energy policy.

Biography:

Nevenka R Elezovic has completed her PhD in 2005, from University of Belgrade. She is currently working as a Research Professor at the Institute for Multidisciplinary Research. Since 2013, she is serving as Representative of Serbia and member of the European Board in European Academy of Surface Technology- http://www.east-site.net. She has published more than 30 papers in reputed journals and has been serving as a reviewer for: Energy and Environmental Science, Applied Materials and Interfaces, Journal of Materials Chemistry A, Electrochimica Acta, Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, RSC Advances, PCCP and Chemical Communications.

Abstract:

Platinum based nanoparticles on high surface area carbon (commercially named Vulcan XC 72 or Ketjen Black) are state of the art materials for low temperature fuel cells application – high efficiency environmental friendly power sources. These catalysts have acceptable high activity for commercial use; however the stability is still big challenge to overcome, to achieve proper durability and long-life costs acceptable for practical purpose. The other big challenge is high oxygen reduction overpotential and its slow kinetics causing unacceptable power loss. Namely, we have synthesized Pt based nano catalysts on different metal oxide based supports (Ti, Sn, W based oxides) and characterized its activity and stability for oxygen reduction reaction. The supports were doped by several percent of Nb and Ru (5-10%) to achieve sufficient conductivity. The synthesized nanocatlysts were characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM), Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (EELS), X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), as well as by electrochemical techniques and Accelerated Stability Testing. The results confirmed very high activity and stability, if compared to commercial Vulcan XC 72 supported catalysts with the same Pt loading.

Keynote Forum

Biography:

Hashem Nehrir has over 40 years of university teaching and research experience. He is a Professor at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Montana State University (MSU). His research encompasses modeling, control, and power management of alternative energy power generation systems, load control (demand response) and application of artificial intelligence for micro grid power management for resiliency and self-healing of power systems. He is Life Fellow of IEEE, the 2010 recipient of MSU’s Wiley Faculty Award for Meritorious Research, the 2016 recipient of IEEE Power and Energy Society (PES) Ramakumar Family Renewable Energy Excellence Award, and the current Vice Chair of the Renewable Energy Technologies Subcommittee of IEEE-PES. He has lectured on his research and educational activities in ten countries around the globe.

Abstract:

It is expected that demand for electricity will increase rapidly with population growth around the globe in the foreseeable future. The increase in demand dictates the need for rapid increase in generation capacity, much of which is expected to be in the form of emission -free renewable energy power generation, including the highly heterogeneous energy sources such as wind and solar. We have already seen the growth of such power generation in the past decade. This presentation evaluates the potential of several different renewable energy resources with a focus on the potential energy of sun for solar Photovoltaic and solar heat for power generation and for hydrogen production. The opportunities and challenges associated with the use of sustainable, but variable renewable energy power generation sources and the role of energy storage and demand response in mitigating their variability in grid-tied and off-grid (islanded) applications will be discussed. Intelligent power management of multisource micro grids for reduced emission, improved reliability and resiliency, and a vision for a future renewable-energy-based Hydrogen-economy society will also be presented.

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